It Always Rains On a Picnic
by sieg124
Summary: The library. It held so many memories for her, for him, and for both of them. Can one more memory be enough to fix them? Leyton 5x09 and beyond.


_AN: So I don't know where this idea came from, but I have a good idea of where it's going. It shouldn't be very long. This takes place 5x09 and beyond, the only difference is that well Lindsey, Brooke, and Haley weren't the ones who got stuck in the library with Peyton and Mia._

* * *

It was the first game of the year and Lucas was somewhat nervous. He didn't know why, he'd just had a feeling that this was _the_ year. The year that something big was meant to happen for his team and he didn't want to be the one screwing it up.

It was twenty minutes to tip off and Skills and Nathan were running the team through warm-up drills when he said he needed some air and found himself wandering down the halls of his old high school, eventually being attracted to the library.

Without thinking he walked in and headed straight for the rows of books, the smell always had comforted him as a youth.

He stopped at no place in particular, at least he thought he hadn't and leant against the shelf, letting his eyes scan the books in front of him. He saw one title that he'd never actually read before but vaguely remembered seeing.

It was then that he looked around and it all clicked.

One afternoon, or maybe it was a few afternoons him and Peyton had sneaked to this exact spot when they had been going behind Brooke's back.

He hated thinking about the person he had been back then, but he couldn't help the cheeky grin that plastered his face when he thought back to what they'd done amongst these old books and how great of a kisser she was.

But then his subconscious reminded him he wasn't supposed to be thinking about Peyton anymore, he was supposed to only think about his fiancée and he unsuccessfully attempted to rid those boyish thoughts from his head.

Maybe though, that's why he needed to come here. Maybe he needed those memories of pure adrenalin to help prepare him for the long year ahead, to prepare for that desired winning season.

Whatever it was had maybe him feel calmer and more relaxed, and so he started back to the gym.

As he passed into view from behind the bookshelves he heard a shout of his name from behind and jumped.

'Mia, right?' He asked once he turned around and noted the upcoming musician.

'The one and only, so what are you doing in here?'

'Well…I was just getting some air, what are you doing in here?'

'Well actually-'

'Hey Mia, are you…Lucas, hi,' Peyton trailed off as she walked up to Mia.

'As I was saying, Peyton was showing me where she got shot at,' Mia continued and Peyton smacked her on the arm.

'Uh, right…well, I have to get going, I'll see you guys later,' he said awkwardly as he rushed to the doors, knowing he was probably Peyton's least favorite person to see.

As he pushed the door, it didn't budge and he found himself puzzled as he tried again and then again and again.

It wasn't opening. He tried the door next to it and the next and they were all stuck.

He turned around to see Peyton and Mia watching on, amusedly.

'I uh, I think we're locked in here,' he stammered, scratching the back of his head nervously.

'You've got to be kidding me,' Peyton sighed exasperatedly noticing a clipboard sitting on one of the counters, stating they were replacing the locks over the weekend.

He came back over and she handed it to him without saying a word before pulling out her cell phone and attempting to call someone, anyone. No service, nothing, none at all.

'This is great, just great.'

'Look I'm sure we can call someone and-'

'Are you forgetting that we're in the middle of a huge dead spot that gets absolutely no reception?' She snapped at him.

He didn't say anything, knowing far too well not to argue with her when she was already pissed off. Instead he walked over to one of the shelves, grabbed a book he'd read far too many times, and hopped up on one of the tables, flipping open the cover.

Peyton watched him, completely taken back by his nonchalant demeanor, and for a moment remembering the broody bookworm he had been in high school, remembering days when things were good, _they_ were good.

Mia watched as Peyton watched Lucas and she couldn't help but smirk to herself, this night was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

'What do you think you're doing?' Peyton asked as she neared to where Lucas was, one hand resting on her hip and her eyebrows raised.

'Reading.'

She rolled her eyes. 'So what, you just want to stay locked in here for the whole weekend and not try to figure a way out?'

'I'm sure someone will come before then. When Nate realizes I'm not at the game they'll send someone,' he replied coolly without looking up from the book he'd started reading.

Not having a better plan herself and knowing he was probably right she sighed and sat down at one of the tables, throwing her head in her hands as she held in an agonized scream aimed at the goddamn world for her having to be stuck with _him _in the library that held so many memories for them both.

Mia meanwhile had found herself walking down the aisles of books looking for one book in particular and once she found it, she started in, leaning against the shelf as her eyes dissected the first few pages.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Mia came rushing back to where they both were and she half yelled, 'Okay, okay… wait a minute." Her eyes left the book in her hands to look up at Lucas who was staring at her confused from where he was perched and Peyton looking expectantly up at her.

'So Lucas not only slept with you and Lindsey, but he also slept with Brooke?'

Lucas' eyes widened as he peered over at Peyton for the first time to see her eyes crinkled as if asking how Mia could have possibly found that out.

'The book, Lucas' book is in here and I thought I'd read it,' she shrugged as she held up the book and Lucas laughed at her innocence.

'To answer your question, Brooke and I dated throughout high school,' he explained.

'And I only ever thought it had been Peyton and you…but there was no one else right?'

'No-'

'Nikki,' Peyton cut him off, connecting her gaze with his in a hostile stare.

'Nikki, Nikki who?' Mia asked as she moved her head back and forth between the two of them.

'Mia you remembered when I told you about Jake right, the musician?'

'Yeah, the cute charmer with the adorable little girl.'

'Right, well as it turns out Nikki is that adorable little girl's mom, and Lucas here had picked her up in a seedy bar one night after I ended things with him the first time when we were going behind Brooke's back,' she bit out angrily, giving him a look before getting up and walking away from them both further into the library.

'Wow…some player you were,' Mia let out after Peyton had disappeared.

Lucas stuffed his hands in his pockets as he said, 'In my defense, I didn't know that she was Jenny's mom at the time.'

'Dude, you've broken her heart more times than humanly possible. It's no wonder she's leaving this town as soon as you get hitched,' Mia said more to herself than to him before realizing what she'd just revealed.

'What?' He asked, his voice low as he hopped off the table and walked over to her.

'Oh my god, I did not just tell you that,' she looked horrified.

'She's leaving?' He asked in disbelief.

She nodded weakly, 'You can't let her know.'

* * *

She was sat at the spot where her and Lucas had hid out during the school shooting. A lot had changed since then.

The carpet, for instance had been removed, the bloodstain created by her own blood was gone. They were both older now, he was a coach and she had her own company. There was no Brooke, no love triangles from hell, there was no psycho stalkers or car crashes or impending doom.

But then there was. There were other things that seemed far worse than anything that had happened in the past.

There are bills and deadlines, there are late nights and early mornings, there's loneliness and incomparable heartbreak.

There's a girl by the name of Lindsey Strauss who is beautiful, smart, successful, she's stable. There's her upcoming marriage to the one man Peyton had reserved forever for.

And right now, it seems there is nothing more that she can do than push her feelings under that all too familiar dusty rug and let the man who carried her out of this library go. He deserves more than the just recently employed girl who said someday, at least that's what she's started telling herself.

* * *

When he finally got the courage to go and speak to her, he threw his sports jacket off onto one of the tables and slowly, quietly made his way to the one particular place he knew she'd be. In some ways he thinks that it's _their _spot, it always has been when he reflects on it. She was right when she said they would carry that day with them for the rest of their lives, he knows he certainly has.

When he rounds the corner and his foot hits that one squeaky floorboard, he feels like he's thrown back in time as her clouded green eyes met his in a way that he remembers, the same vulnerability he saw that day so long ago swirling in her orbs.

He flashes a small smile as he takes a few steps forward and takes a seat next to her, his gaze instantly landing on the floor beneath them both.

He sighs, the carpet's been removed and he wonders why that little fact upsets him so much.

'I'm sorry,' he says quietly as he peers at her from the corner of his eye. And for the first time that night he takes in how beautiful she looks. She's always beautiful, he doesn't know if that thought makes him a jerk or not but it's true. He would believe it till the day he dies.

And the leather jacket, Ellie's leather jacket that's hugging her shoulders is taking him down a very nostalgic path that he's denied himself to walk in recent years.

She's looking forward, her arms are extended out in front of her atop her bent legs, her hands clasped as she tries, desperately tries not to sound affected when she says, 'No, I'm sorry. I didn't expect Mia to be so blunt or to…to…'

'To pry open old wounds?' He fills in for her, her face turning to look at him as she nods slowly, painfully.

He's come a long way from the shy gentle boy who quoted NOFX in an attempt to impress her and she supposed he did.

"_That's me inside your head." _

If only he knew how true those words would have been in the months, years to follow.

But now, now he was a man. He had a light dress shirt on with a blue tie and black slacks. His typical coaching uniform as she had been accustomed to in the last few weeks. He'd grown up and become wiser and there was nothing more that pained her heart than knowing she hadn't been around when that'd happened.

'Everything used to be so simple you know, even if at the time it didn't seem that way,' he said thoughtfully.

'Oh yeah, getting shot in the leg beats dealing with ignorant musicians or stubborn basketball players any day,' she sarcastically said and when he looked at her he laughed.

'Okay, well maybe not that specific day but…you know what I mean.'

'Yeah, I do.'

'But even so, we've all come so far, we've chased dreams and found _new_ ones' she continued, wondering partially if he caught on to the double meaning.

He didn't say anything for several moments, just sat staring ahead until her voice called for his attention once again.

'Are you happy, Lucas?' Her voice was honest and her eyes were honest, as she looked him straight on.

Was he happy, completely happy and content with his life? He knew the answer was no, he knew that he was happy at times. He was happy when he got to see his nephew or when his team won a game, but he hadn't been as happy as he was when he was the happiest in his life. He hadn't been that happy in a long time, almost four years to be exact.

And sadly, he knew the woman sitting next to him was the only real reason for that.

He didn't answer her though; he looked into her eyes and tried hopelessly to think about anything other than the way she had looked at him the night in her office when they had kissed. The night he had proposed to Lindsey, the night he sat awake thinking everything and nothing about Peyton Sawyer and how he didn't know why she and not Lindsey was on his mind.

She was looking at him exactly the same way now, and he didn't know if he'd ever be able to live without her looking at him like that again in his life.

'Are _you _happy?' He ignored her question with his own.

Before she could answer Mia's shout of, 'Guys, come check this out!' broke through their moment.

'Come on, we better go see what trouble she's got into now,' Peyton said lightly as Lucas absently nodded and followed her as she stood up.

He didn't know what had just happened, but he felt strangely empty that whatever it was had ended.


End file.
